It’s no secret that different species of animals can get along well and create incredibly strong friendships, but such heartwarming stories never cease to leave us in awe. The adorable duo in this story is a fascinating example. Their bond blossoms beautifully during the lockdown and already wins the hearts of countless animal lovers around this world.
Meet Elsa the koala and Hope the wombat, an unlikely twosome at the Australian Reptile Park that could steal your heart within a few seconds!
Both Elsa and Hope grew up under the care of the zookeepers without the love of their mothers. Hope’s mom passed away after a tragic car accident and the wombat was rescued and taken in by the wildlife sanctuary.
Meanwhile, Elsa was born at the zoo in September 2019 and immediately when viral thanks to her irresistible cuteness. However, the zookeeper had to hand-raise her themselves due to her mother’s mastitis.
Here is the short clip that made Elsa a bright star of the zoo:
As many zoos and parks in the world have to close their doors to visitors following the global pandemic, the Australian Reptile Park is no exception. Needless to say, both the zookeepers and the animals there have no other choice but to play with each other to kill time. However, thanks to the lockdown, they are able to witness an amazing friendship blooming wonderfully like a miracle.
“Whilst the Australian Reptile Park was temporarily closed throughout April and May due to coronavirus, the pair became close buddies with keepers often putting Hope the Wombat in the enclosure with Elsa,” says zookeeper Dan Rumsey. “It didn’t take long for them to become the best of friends!”
Of course, it didn’t take long for their bond to capture the hearts of everyone around either. They were just stunned and wowed by what they saw.
“We were quite surprised to see the friendship forming! Although as a species, the wombat and the koala are related, it’s unusual to see them interact like this!” Rumsey continues.
Let’s take a look at these endearing cuties:
Explaining their similarities and differences, Rumsey claims that the koala and the wombat actually have a lot of things in common since they are relatives, but some dissimilarities are obviously unavoidable.
“Both marsupials with pouches. Give birth to live young that stay in the pouch for the first six months. Both herbivores,” he says. “Koalas are mostly arboreal (lives in trees) and wombats dig burrows in the ground for shelter. They both have long claws but wombats use them for digging and koala use them for clinging to trees.”
Despite all those dissimilarities, there’s no denying that Elsa and Hope are still a perfect pair and the zookeepers have decided to allow these besties to hang out with each other as much as possible. Isn’t it great?
H/T: Bored Panda